June 5 was Environment Day, which is held to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment on June 5, 1972. Based on a proposal from Japan, the United Nations established World Environment Day (WED) to commemorate this day every year since 1972.
In Japan, the entire month of June has been designated as Environment Month since 1991, calling on the citizens of Japan to step up their environmental activities during this period. Followings are two energy conservation initiatives that PPC is engaging in as part of its environmental activities.

1. Cool Biz

The Cool Biz campaign was launched by the Japanese government in the summer of 2005 as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by encouraging offices to set their air-conditioning systems to a comfortable 28°C temperature during the summer months. The campaign also encourages office workers to dispense with their usual office attire such as suits and neckties, in favor of more casual dress such as no neckties and even polo shirts. We have even adopted the cool and casual dress code at our Tokyo Headquarters as well as Osaka and Nagoya Branch Offices.

2. Frequent Shutting Off of Lights

Frequent shutting off of lights is practiced at all PPC business locations. For example, at the Fuji Plant, unnecessary lights are extinguished during lunch hours. Also, we labeled light switches at the Tokyo Headquarters so that employees can see which area of lights are controlled by each switches. Departments are now able to shut off their lights at the end of the work day instead of leaving the entire floor lit.

Even the smallest energy-saving activities can have a big impact on conserving energy if we keep doing them. Make it part of a fun challenge to save energy!

Lights out of lunch time

Light switches' labels

There are many ways of cost-cutting that we practice in our daily life. Some cost-cutting is related to our job and others are related to our family. These costs down activities are very important to ensure our budget is well manage and practically spent.

In PAP, we practice cost-cutting as our department objective & target. Our cost-cutting such as energy savings, recycle program and reduction of cost/cost cutting. Cost-cutting shall be measurable, with the target of achievement. One of the costs down item is the fabrication of snake catcher or business trade name as snake tong.

Snake tong is necessary to the security team of PAP to catch snakes found in our plant area. We source the price with vendor, snake catcher made in Australia cost us RM2,300.00 and made in USA RM2,750.00.

Our Kaizen team made the brain-storming to discuss the fabrication of the snake tong. The main point is to consider environmental aspect, such as recycle, reuse and resale. After various meetings, at last we conclude one final design which is practical to be used in our plant.

The snake tong consists of parts such as handle, clipper, cable and the trigger. All these parts are using the recycle parts from the used-bicycle.

The trigger part of the snake catcher we use the bicycle brake handle, then the clipper use the bicycle brake horse-shoe and similar to the cable, we use the bicycle brake cable. The clipper parts were taped with masking tape to avoid injury to the snake catched.

The cost of the fabricated snake catcher is approximately amounting to RM40.00. If we compare to the snake catcher made in Australia, we managed to cost-cutting RM2,260.00, while if compare with made in USA unit we achieved RM2,710.00 cost-cutting.

This saving idea is unique and yet shown very high impact to PAP budget.

In light of global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer, saving Gaia (the scientific name of our planet Earth) is something which all of us should play a part in. As most of us spend many hours working in the office, we should definitely start to save the environment from the very cubicle where we spend an average of 7 - 9 hours.

Saving paper is one of the more important methods to save the environment. As we have limited resources on Earth (i.e. trees which take a long time to grow into a full grown tree), it is important to cut down on our wastage of paper, thereby reducing the number of trees being cut down. This is especially important in the office where a lot of paperwork is done and paper is indispensable to us. A way to save paper would be to copy and print on both sides of the paper. Another way to save paper would be to use email instead of paper correspondences. Recycled paper can also be used for printing /copying purposes and discarded paper can be used as scrap paper. Items such as envelopes, folders and paper clips can also be reused.

Besides cutting down on the usage of stationery, energy can also be saved by ensuring that lights, computers, and other electrical appliances are turned off when they are not in use. Compact fluorescent light bulbs can also be used to save money and energy, which in turn cut down on the amount of natural resources being used to generate the energy. Water can also be saved by checking the taps / toilets to ensure that there are no leaks. It may also be ideal to install water saving devices on the faucets and toilets.

If everyone in the office adopts the above measures to save the environment, it will surely make a difference to our Earth, albeit a small one.

20 to 30 years ago, we have 4 seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, in Hong Kong. Each season has its own distinguished characteristics. We could tell the seasons just by observing the daily weather. However, as one of the consequence of global warming, it is said winter would disappear in Hong Kong within 20 years' time.

It is no surprise to us as we have been having very long hot days like summer time, lesser cold days in the winter period lately. In order to help saving the earth, not Hong Kong just alone, we should take global warming seriously and do as much as we can to prevent our winter from disappearing.

Like most of the offices, PCL staff volunteer to contribute on energy saving in the office. We would collect wasted papers which are used single side only. Some staff uses those papers for drafting or for internal reports use; while some staff cut them into A5 size as their memo pads. The office machines are on energy saving mold when idle. We also contact recycle companies to collect our used toners. Staff is encouraged to switch off the light of their working section if he/she is the last one to leave the office.

As we all know, we are currently suffer from the global financial crisis, which has many negative effects on our company. Therefore, we realize that conduction of company energy cost should be done to alleviate this serious situation. The following recommendations are for the energy cost reduction.

Firstly, in summer time, the air conditioning temperature should be controlled at 27-28°C in office. Please turn off the windows as soon as the air conditioning is opened. In addition, after working time, close the office air conditioning and the air blower as well.

The second way is reducing the use of stationery and disposable cup. Disposable cups are mainly for the customers so all of colleagues have a responsibility to prepare a glass cup for themselves. This action can not only benefit colleagues' health but also protect environment.

Thirdly, when you make a phone call, please make it shorter because it is an efficient way to save the telephone expense.

Saving water is the fourthly recommendation. After finishing wash hands or cups, remember to close the water tap and do not let water flushing for a long time.

Last but not least, after working time, be sure to close the computer and switch off the screen. The computer screen standby power is 5 as well as the printer. If you forget to close power switch after getting off work, the standby times are at least for 10 hours, which creates the waste of electricity 0.1 kwh. That means, the unnecessary consumption of electricity will dramatically reach 36.5 kwh in one year. Moreover, please use the computer "the sleep" pattern in order to short rest period as far as possible.

Actually, most colleagues do not lack of the frugal consciousness but they seldom do frugal action in their daily time. Our company can benefit from our employees' action, if they star to take the action to save the energy. No one can deny that it is an efficient solution to alleviate the serious financial situation that global financial crisis brings to us. In addition, as the methods that mentioned above are actually easy to do, we should keep doing them in our daily lives as well.

By D. L. Chiou

As we know, there are many way for saving in our living, such as recycling the laundry water for cleaning floor or collecting the waste water by cleaning vegetables for recycling. In our living, we also can do some other way for saving. For example, fully utilize the materials.

In Taiwan, we usually receive many leaflets with newspaper, especially on Saturday and Sunday. In general, people would take it to recycle car. If I find a leaflet is smooth and thick, I would use the leaflet to fold a case, and then put the case on the table for collect the garbage during meal. I want to use the case to instead dish for collecting garbage. So, I can save a little bit water from wash dish or clean table each time.

How do you deal with the empty bottle or tube, which filled salad dressing or any other sauces? In general, we throw it away. But at the bottom of bottle, we can see some sauces in there. So, why don't we use the rest, how do I do? First, we prepare a plastics bag, swing the bottle, and put it into the bag. Second, prepare a rope, tie the handles of plastics bag. Finally, we use by way of centrifugal force that rotate the bottle by rope, and then collect the rest sauce in the neck of the bottle.

The world is so much different from what it used to be. "Global Warming" is no longer a new word for us; in fact everyone living on earth cannot avoid facing the impact of it. Ice in North and South Pole are melting, disasters such as flood and climate changes are examples of the warnings of how serious "Global Warming" can cause. Consequently, the idea of successful sustainable environment has become a new challenge in this era.
The problem cannot be solved by one organization or government, but need to handle with care by the smallest function in the society, in another word it is a duty of each individual human being.

I would like to introduce 5 simple ways to save the world from global warming which everybody can practice in real life. Not only global warming, but it is also a first step to sustainable environment in the future.

1) Use paper or eco-bag instead of plastic bag.
Eco-bag can be made of paper, fabric, or even plastic. Nevertheless the key to extinguish eco-bag from others is that it can be re-use instead of throw away after use only once. Believe it or not, the more you decrease plastic bag volume is the more you increase CO2.

2) Turn off / Unplug electric devices when they are not in used.

3) Make the best use out of every resource. Use both sides of the A4 paper for instance.

4) Prefer eco-product which made from recycled material, friendly to environment, and generate less temperature.

5) Use public transportation such as train, subway, and bus in order to decrease air pollution and save gasoline energy.

Let's protect our world from global warming before it's too late. Little by little we can make a different with our own hands.

For energy saving, PTM makes measure as following:

1. Optimize SOP of key equipment maintenance to reduce maintenance time, reduce the loss of production time and increase production.
   
   
2. Optimize the production SOP to raise production direct passing and on spec rate.
   
   
3. Take full advantage of the second heat source; reduce steam usage after technical transformation.
   
   
4. Strengthen statistical analysis of energy; duly find out the reasons which may cause insufficiency.
   
   
5. Update instruction indication at the screen of DCS and production site, which is an effective means to reduce operational errors. Mark the operation scale with red, yellow and green adhesive tape on all the pressure gauges and flow meters. Mark the operating range of each important control points and the operational guidance of key points, and change on time according to the actual situation.
   
   
6. The stability of a planned production is another important means which we ensure low consumption. The monomer section makes the production plan according to polymer section's plan and adjust production load of each unit, and then ensure the production steady and low consumption.

Flow meter

We also have saving activities in our office, including

1. Promote the use of double-sided copy paper for cost saving and environmental protection. The blank side of used paper can be collected and put into a special container of duplicating macline to copy inner unimportant document, and can be made a notebook for draft.
   

   
   Paper recyle

2. Make detailed regulation about how to use air-condition efficiently. It is regulated in PTM that the temperature of air-condition inside the office shall not set lower than 26°C in summer and not higher than 20°C in winter. Each department assigns a person in charge of monitoring the controller of air-condition.

Air-condition